"We should get our comrades to understand that the twofold basic task of the leading bodies of the Communist Party is to know conditions and to master policy; the former means knowing the world and the latter changing the world." -Mao Zedong, 1941, Reform our Study

Philippines: Underground youth group holds daring lightning rally, calls on youth to accelerate the revolutionary upsurge and join the New People’s Army

by Information Bureau,
Communist Party of the Philippines,
December 2, 2010

In celebration of the Kabataang Makabayan (KM, Patriotic Youth) 46th anniversary, hundreds of KM members joined today’s lightning rally near Malacañang, calling for support to the revolutionary movement’s objective to advance the peoples’ war.

“The revolutionary youth under KM declares its full commitment to advance the call of the Communist Party of the Philippines of fulfilling the strategic stalemate position vis-a-vis the rotten reactionary US-Aquino regime and its mercenary state security forces within five years,” states Ma. Laya Guerrero, KM spokesperson.

The participants of the lightning rally assembled at around 12:30 noon at the R. Papa St., barely a kilometer away from Malacañang palace, marched towards Morayta and Recto and dispersed near Avenida St. At the corner of Morayta and Recto, the group held a program that lasted for 10 minutes exorting the youth to join the New People’s Army (NPA).

“Under the aegis of imperialism particularly the United States of America, the Aquino regime has quickly shown its true colors of being anti-youth and anti-people. It has not departed from the hated polices of Arroyo regime that has bled the economy and push further impoverishment to our people. The Filipino youth has seen the monster in Aquino this early and we vow to make every day in his term a nightmare of protests.”

“As long as the rotten semi-feudal and semi-colonial system persists, the Filipino people and most especially the youth will rise up and heed to the calls of the times. There is no other solution but for the masses to tread the path of revolutionary struggle and join the NPA to ensure genuine change and brighter future for the Filipino youth and the next generation.”

KM, the underground organization of youth and part of the revolutionary left umbrella National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) was founded in 1964 by then young professor Jose Maria Sison and peers which led the resurgence of the protest movement in the country after the 1950â€²s. The KM has been at the forefront of the historic First Quarter Storm of 1970â€²s that paved the way for the radicalization of the youth and students. Many of them become the first guerilla fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) that went underground during Marcos dictatorship.

“We are resolved to carry forward our historic role to echo the revolutionary aspiration to win the struggle of the oppressed Filipino people against the tyranny of imperialism, bureaucrat-capitalism, and feudalism. We vow to intensify protests and vow for upsurge of the militant youth movement in the coming days and months,” Guerrero said.

One thought on “Philippines: Underground youth group holds daring lightning rally, calls on youth to accelerate the revolutionary upsurge and join the New People’s Army”

First, it shows that the revolutionary movement in the Philippines is making a big push to move to a higher stage in their Peoples’ War.

Second, it makes an interesting tactical example for how revolutionaries show themselves to the people while minimizing the state’s ability to capture them. “Lightning rallies” are roughly similar to flash mobs and were even used under the fascist Marcos dictatorship. This is something to consider very seriously.